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34
Pneumonia, Phthisis, Heart disease, &c. Even Cancer has
recently been found to be more prevalent among drinkers.
(See British Medical Journal April 5th, 1892—23 per cent, of
cancer patients in Holland found to suffer from alcoholism).
The large amount of mortality for which alcohol is responsible
may be inferred from the fact that out of 154 deaths on which
inquests were held, 20, or thirteen per cent, were certified as
accelerated by alcohol.
69. Of the 52 deaths from Alcoholism and Hepatic cirrhosis,
31 or 0.75 per 1000 population, belonged to Woolwich parish,
19 or 0.27 per 1000 to Plumstead, and 2 or 0.25 per 1000 to
Eltham. Thus it appears that there is more than twice as
much intemperance in Woolwich as in Plumstead. Every ward
in Woolwich has a higher proportional alcoholic mortality than
any ward in Plumstead (see table 4). The Eiver ward has far
the highest mortality from this cause of any ward, viz., 1.10.
It is impossible not to associate the following unenviable
characteristics in which Woolwich greatly exceeds its sister
parish; (1) High death rate ; (2) Overcrowding and insanitary
condition of houses ; (3) Intemperance ; (4) Large number of
public houses. No doubt 2 and 3 act and re-act on each other,
but there can hardly be a doubt that (3) is partially a result of
(4) and that (1) is to a very great extent the result of (2) & (3).
70. It appears from the official list presented to the Blackheath
Licensing Sessions in August, 1901, that there were then
110 public houses and beerhouses (excluding grocers and wine
merchants) in Woolwich parish, 62 in Plumstead, and 13 in
Eltham; 61 of those in Woolwich were in the Eiver ward.
Per 1000 population there were 4.2 public houses in Eiver ward,
2.6 in Woolwich parish, 0.9 in Plumstead and 1.6 in Eltham,
which figures, it will be noticed, are very nearly proportional
to the mortality from Alcohol.